Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got a text from a close friend that just said she was coming by to make chocolate chip cookies. No reason other than just “it’s a long story”. It ended up being for one of those great “I win” moments in a relationship when someone presents you with “the best” of something and it ends up being sort of unmemorable. Then you get this smirk on your face as your mind starts going and you know you can do better or know someone whose is better. Being almost as competitive as my friend is, I was all for this cookie competition.

It also happens to be just over a year since my old oven broke and was replaced with the new one I have now. The first test of my new oven involved this classic cookie so it is very fitting (and freakish coincidence) that I’m making them again. Oh what a pain that was, to get a new oven through our apartment’s management company. Just getting it installed and working correctly was a day full of phone calls and complaints and some frustration on the part of the guy who finally hooked it up. I made these chocolate chip cookies for my husband and also as a thank you gift to my building manager who had to put up with me calling him and nagging about the stove more times than should have been necessary.

These are really good cookies but wow did I have some problems with consistency yesterday. Every time I bake a recipe that uses U.S. customary units I have such inconsistent results that I’m disappointed and irritated until I make them right. Thankfully I remembered the advice of all great pastry chefs and I busted out my kitchen scale and weighed my ingredients this time and officially converted my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe to metric. It makes a such a huge difference and results in the perfect cookie every time. Some day I will write a post singing the praises of using a kitchen scale like this one for baking, but in the mean time I hope you give it a try. You will be very pleased with the consistent results you get and how much sense it makes to weigh dry ingredients (and sometimes wet, like egg whites) rather than measure by volume.

The big plus with these cookies is you can make them without a hand mixer or stand mixer. It also doesn’t make the insanely large amount of cookies that typical recipes do, so this is just enough to get your fix and maybe share two or three (or none and not feel too guilty). These cookies are amazing, and worthy of an index card in anyone’s recipe box.

My husband is also happy for the chance to update the pictures for this cookies recipe with better ones than the original I took with my iPhone. :(

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. Whisk the flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling the pan constantly until the butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and using a heatproof spatula, transfer the browned butter to large heat-proof bowl.

Add the hot butter to the bowl with the sugars and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the egg and yolk and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let the mixture stand 5 minutes, then whisk again for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 3-5 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. It will look like a caramel and it must be cool to the touch. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving the dough a final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain. The dough should not be tacky and stick to your hands when touched. Important: If your mixture is not cool before adding in the chips they will begin to melt and you will end up with a streaky cookie mixture of half melted chocolate which usually is not appealing.

Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup (or some other similar sized scooping tool), scoop out the cookie dough and tap into your hand. Roll the dough into a ball and then break each ball in half (like cracking open an egg) with both hands, and place each half onto a cookie sheet ripped side up. This will give your cookies fun peaks and valleys that look delicious (because we also eat with our eyes!) Bake cookies one tray at a time until they are golden brown and still puffy, and the edges have begun to set but the centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving. Repeat for each additional sheet of cookies.

Store in an air-tight bag or container for up to a week. Good luck getting them to last that long though…

Ever wonder how bakeries get such consistant results? They weigh everything for the best results. You can find scales fairly cheep $20-25 on Amazon. The one I have is the best I have had, and it’s lasted me over a year now.

First cookie recipe I’ve made from scratch (I’m usually a cup cake kinda girl), and they were gorgeous – slightly crispy on the outside, yet soft on the inside, just the way I like them! Thank you so much!

Every time I hear someone talking about the merits of a good kitchen scale, it so much makes me want to get one! I suppose the time will come, and I just have to be patient until then. The cookies look thick and delicious, of course, and I’m sure your husband had fun giving them a “new look” with better photos; that’s always a great boost for an already great recipe.

Great recipe, my husbands favorite choco chip cookie,thus far!! The only change was I used 1/2c brown sugar, 1/4c coconut sugar & 2tbsp white sugar. I typically cut sugar in recipe, my sweet tooth has been missing since birth ;-0 Im very sensitive to sweet.. Awesome cookies, thank you for sharing & the detail in the cooled butter. I did stir and set browned butter/sugar mix in the freezer for 3 minutes, whisked again and repeated once more. Seemed to work great and a lil´quicker way to delishó´nous
Again thanks for sharing, will be put on my often to bake list!!